Spanglish

I often don't know what I'm doing in motherhood.  I do a lot of things by trial and error and in the end find a way to make it work.  Sleeping for example.  I never knew sleep would be such an issue.  Josiah is an amazing sleeper now, but it took a LOT of trial and error to find a way to make that work. 

So now this kid is learning to talk which is great fun.  It seems like he comes out with a new word every few days.  The thing is, he lives in a bilingual family and has not just one, but two languages coming at him.  I thought he'd be a late talker because of that, but he's right on target.  A few weeks ago he threw out "tractor" and it is now his favorite word.  I dunno...we don't even talk about tractors, but whatever, he likes to say "tractor". 

So back to being bilingual.  I read some books and websites about how to do it.  I was going to speak English, Ariel speak Spanish.  It was going to be so great for him to learn.  Oh well, that was before we put it into practice.  So we all speak a big mix of Spanglish around here, including Josiah.  He says words in both languages and can understand everything in Spanish and English.   I caught myself tonight saying "Tell the agua bye bye" (getting out of the tub).  How do I expect him to get it straight if I speak this mess of both languages?  I guess he'll figure it out sometime, or let's just hope his teachers know some Spanish too! 

Catching up

My lack of blogging is a result of my lack of time. If all the blogs I've written in my head were posted, this blog would be full.  But after a trip to the DR and changing my work schedule, I find myself finally with some time to blog.  Working night shift is a funny thing...I never quite feel "normal" or on any sort of schedule.  I've changed my days around a little and am finally feeling more sane and in control of myself...clearly a good thing!

Our trip back to the DR was so good.  It was interesting, fantastic, and a little heartbreaking all at the same time.  We have been in the States now for a year and it has been a year of multiple ups and downs as we both adjust to what it means to live in America.  Being in the DR again and seeing it through eyes that had been away was hard in a lot of ways.  The great part is that life continues as it was...the hard part is that life continues as it was.  I was encouraged to see "my" kids at school and how well they are all doing.  The progress in construction as director/dad Alberto lives his heart by loving the kids dearly and helping them progress.  We did endless visits with family and friends and managed to have a little down time at the beach and pool, enough to get a bit of a sunburn and remember that we were on vacation!

Ariel and I celebrated 3 years of marriage.  I constantly find myself saying how quickly times has gone, but really, 3 years??!!  We celebrated right back where it all started, at Sea Horse Ranch.  A place where we went on our first date, where Ariel proposed, where we planned our wedding on Sunday afternoons overlooking the ocean and drinking cafe, and where we ultimately got married. 

Our little superstar rocked every part of flying!  It was a huge trip for him, but he did so well.  He is the joy of all joys is my life and fills every part of my heart.  He is a walker for sure now and is talking up a storm.  He is saying words in English and Spanish which is exciting to see how the little sponge of a baby has soaked in all we are saying.  His favorite word is ball, but he recently added tractor to his list. 

So my blogging will hopfully be more frequent now, as my sanity returns and life gets a little more back to normal.